Gandhi comments insults Jews

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Printed in the Democrat and Chronicle this morning:

Gandhi comments insults Jews

Bennett J. Loudon
Staff writer

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(January 12, 2008) — The grandson of iconic peace activist Mohandas Gandhi has stirred a national controversy by writing on The Washington Post Web site that Jews "overplay" the Holocaust.

Arun Gandhi, a Brighton resident and founder of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence, based at the University of Rochester, on Monday wrote, "Jewish identity in the past has been locked into the Holocaust experience — a German burden that the Jews have not been able to shed. It is a very good example of (how) a community can overplay a historic experience to the point that it begins to repulse friends."

UR President Joel Seligman, in a written statement released Friday, said he was "surprised and deeply disappointed."

Larry Fine, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Rochester, called Gandhi's statements "reprehensible."

Gandhi is on a panel of scholars, writers and clergy who discuss a new topic each week on The Washington Post's "On Faith" Web page. This week's topic was "We know what 'Jewish identity' has meant in the past. What will it mean in the future? How does a minority religion retain its roots and embrace change?"

Gandhi also wrote: "The Jewish identity in the future appears bleak. Any nation that remains anchored to the past is unable to move ahead, and especially a nation that believes its survival can only be assured by weapons and bombs.

"We have created a culture of violence (Israel and the Jews are the biggest players) and that 'culture of violence' is eventually going to destroy humanity."

He said Israel's military buildup has created a snake pit "with many deadly snakes in it."

Hundreds of comments have been posted on the Web page. Many have been critical of Gandhi's opinion, but some were supportive.

Gandhi responded Thursday with a comment titled "My Apology for My Poorly Worded Post."

"I do not believe and should not have implied that the policies of the Israeli government are reflective of the views of all Jewish people," he wrote.

"I do believe that when a people hold on to historic grievances too firmly it can lead to bitterness and the loss of support from those who would be friends. But as I have noted in previous writings, the suffering of the Jewish people, particularly in the Holocaust, was historic in its proportions," he wrote.

Gandhi, who is in India, did not respond to an e-mail seeking comment.

The comments have been widely noted on political blogs, but not in the mainstream media. In Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia that anyone can edit, Arun Gandhi's entry already includes a note on the controversy and a link to The Washington Post's "On Faith" page.

Fine said Gandhi's apology and other comments "do nothing to clarify or excuse the language that he used in his initial post."

Fine said he contacted UR officials to let them know he was offended by Gandhi's statement.

"We just noted our concern and told them that we would be watching to see what their response was," said Fine.

Seligman said Gandhi's apology "inadequately explains his stated views, which seem fundamentally inconsistent with the core values of the University of Rochester."

"In particular I vehemently disagree with his singling out of Israel and the Jewish people as to blame for the 'culture of violence' that he believes is eventually going to destroy humanity. This kind of stereotyping is inconsistent with our core values and would be inappropriate when applied to any race, any religion, any nationality, or either gender," Seligman said in the statement.

"Arun Gandhi currently is in India. I will discuss this matter with him in person as soon as he returns to Rochester later this month," Seligman said in his statement.

UR officials refused to answer questions about the relationship between the university and the institute, including how much funding the university provides and what authority, if any, the university has over institute operations and staffing.

Efraim Zuroff, director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Israel, told The Jerusalem Post that Gandhi's statement was anti-Semitic.

"Sometimes people become obsessed with their own agenda to the extent that they think it's the solution to every problem," Zuroff told The Jerusalem Post.

"Even the great Mohandas Gandhi did not have a monopoly on wisdom," which Zuroff said was evident in the fact that Gandhi suggested passive resistance against the Nazis.

"This is an outrageous statement that does no credit to him, his family or his institution," Zuroff said in The Jerusalem Post of Arun Gandhi's comment.

BLOUDON@DemocratandChronicle.com
 
Arun Ghandi's original post,"Jewish Identity Can't Depend on Violence", appearing on the Washington Post website:

Jewish Identity Can't Depend on Violence

Jewish identity in the past has been locked into the holocaust experience -- a German burden that the Jews have not been able to shed. It is a very good example of a community can overplay a historic experience to the point that it begins to repulse friends. The holocaust was the result of the warped mind of an individual who was able to influence his followers into doing something dreadful. But, it seems to me the Jews today not only want the Germans to feel guilty but the whole world must regret what happened to the Jews. The world did feel sorry for the episode but when an individual or a nation refuses to forgive and move on the regret turns into anger.

The Jewish identity in the future appears bleak. Any nation that remains anchored to the past is unable to move ahead and, especially a nation that believes its survival can only be ensured by weapons and bombs. In Tel Aviv in 2004 I had the opportunity to speak to some Members of Parliament and Peace activists all of whom argued that the wall and the military build-up was necessary to protect the nation and the people. In other words, I asked, you believe that you can create a snake pit -- with many deadly snakes in it -- and expect to live in the pit secure and alive? What do you mean? they countered. Well, with your superior weapons and armaments and your attitude towards your neighbors would it not be right to say that you are creating a snake pit? How can anyone live peacefully in such an atmosphere? Would it not be better to befriend those who hate you? Can you not reach out and share your technological advancement with your neighbors and build a relationship?

Apparently, in the modern world, so determined to live by the bomb, this is an alien concept. You don't befriend anyone, you dominate them. We have created a culture of violence (Israel and the Jews are the biggest players) and that Culture of Violence is eventually going to destroy humanity.
... and the following post, written days later by Arun Ghandi, "My Apology for My Poorly Worded Post":

My Apology for My Poorly Worded Post

I am writing to correct some regrettable mis-impressions I have given in my comments on my blog this week. While I stand behind my criticisms of the use of violence by recent Israeli governments -- and I have criticized the governments of the U.S., India and China in much the same way -- I want to correct statements that I made with insufficient care, and that have inflicted unnecessary hurt and caused anger.

I do not believe and should not have implied that the policies of the Israeli government are reflective of the views of all Jewish people. Indeed, many are as concerned as I am by the use of violence for state purposes, by Israel and many other governments.

I do believe that when a people hold on to historic grievances too firmly it can lead to bitterness and the loss of support from those who would be friends. But as I have noted in previous writings, the suffering of the Jewish people, particularly in the Holocaust, was historic in its
proportions. While we must strive for a future of peace that rejects violence, it is also important not to forget the past, lest we fail to learn from it. Having learned from it, we can then find the path to peace and rejection of violence through forgiveness.
 
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