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Auckland, New Zealand, Sunday, August 1, 2004
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]Foreign Minister Phil
Goff (below) visited Yassar Arafat last year, a
visit which angered many in the NZ Jewish
community.  Jews
uneasy as changes in attitude creep in
By GRAHAM REID ON Wednesday a letter was
published in Wellington's Dominion Post. The
writer wanted to know why there was a memorial to
former Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin
-- a man he described as leading "a bloodstained
life" -- on public land in the central city's
Harris St. It may have been an honest inquiry, and there
have been a few such similar letters in the five or
so years since the memorial -- a piece of Jerusalem
stone acknowledging Rabin as a Nobel Peace Prize
winner beside an olive tree -- was dedicated. A reply yesterday pointed out the memorial was
for Rabin's efforts to break a deadlock between
Israelis and Palestinians and that "soldiers
sometimes make the greatest peacemakers, and to
urge us to reflect on whether his violent death
really means that we must descend again and forever
into the abyss". The original letter came as no surprise to
some.  "I
thought it was just an anti-Israel letter," says
David Zwartz, Israel's honorary consul
(right). "It's just jumping on the
bandwagon, I suppose. It's something people feel
they can vent their feelings on.
"Just lately there have been far more letters
about Israel in the Dominion Post than usual
and some from people who do write quite regularly.
I recognise the names." Some in the Jewish community have detected a
shift from anti-Israel to anti-Jewish opinion.
Although overt anti-Semitism has been minor, if not
non-existent, that doesn't mean local Jewih
communities feel comfortable. "We are vigilant," says Wendy Ross, a
former president of the Auckland Jewish
Council.[*] "There is some anti-Jewish feeling but
basically not. Large numbers of New Zealanders
have been to Israel and are not anti-Jewish or
anti-Semitic in any way. Basically we have good
lives here and always felt secure, up to now."But government attitudes impinge very much
on what happens to a community." Others in the Jewish community also believe
there has been a subtle change in the social
climate which has been led by the Labour
Government's less sympathetic attitude towards
Israel and its more pro-Palestinian stance. Last year Foreign Minister Phil Goff
visited Palestinian leader Yassar Arafat and
shook his hand, for many local Jews a symbolic
gesture tantamount to government approval for a man
who has direct links to Palestinian terrorists and
attacks on Israeli citizens. "He went to Israel and insisted on going to see
Arafat, who is a murderer of Jews. That's the way
we look at it," says Ross, speaking in a private
capacity. "And Phil Goff went there to shake his
hand." Ross also notes that as Prime Minister, Helen
Clark has been in the Middle East a number of
times but has never visited Israel. 
SOME feel attitudes towards New Zealand Jews have
changed discernibly given Goff's recent comments
about the wall Israel is building (which many local
Jews considered ill-informed), and the possible
arrival of controversial author and
Holocaust-denier David Irving in September.
Discussion is made murky by the language used.
Historically, it has been politically convenient
for Israel that the line be blurred between
anti-Israel policies and anti-Semitism. Discussion about the country's less palatable
politics can be closed down by invoking the fear of
a return to the darkest days of human behaviour in
the middle of last century. Zwartz concedes there is a problem of
differentiation of the issues of Judaism and
Israeli politics. But it is exemplifed by his
occupying two important, but distinct, roles which
are nominally secular and religious. He is Israel's honorary consul to New Zealand
and also president of the New Zealand Jewish
Council. But the distinction needs to be made because if
it was once helpful to the cause of Israel the
ambiguity is perhaps less so now. Many outside the faith see only a simple
equation between Israel and Judaism. But the local
Jewish communities embrace all aspects of the
political spectrum, from those who are strongly
Zionist to those who openly disapprove of Israeli
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's policies,
which they see as provocative. But because Judaism is as inextricably linked
with the state of Israel as the Jewish homeland,
the important distinction between anti-Israel
statements and anti-Semitism becomes opaque, and in
the minds of some, irrelevant. After Clark railed against Israel following the
alleged Mossad
spies scandal, Jewish graves were desecrated at a
cemetery in Wellington. Clark's somewhat dismissive
comments about the connection between the two
events left many Jews angry. At best, says Ross,
she was naive and at worst exercising poor
judgment. Zwartz: "People were upset about it
because some of those graves had been there for
150 years, and they hadn't previously been
desecrated. But the day after her strong
comments about the
alleged Mossad
agents came out they were. So it's a bit
disingenuous to say there was no connection
whatsoever." Zwartz observes that after the sinking of the
Rainbow Warrior there wasn't an attack on
French graves at Akaroa, "or any other French
property that I am aware of". He accepts the damage may have been an act of
simple vandalism perpetrated by those with no
political agenda but still asks, "Why do that thing
on that day? I think it was related to the strong
words of the Prime Minister." While no one suggests the Government is
anti-Semitic -- those spoken to are at pains to
underscore that it is not -- its support for
Palestinians may give comfort to those who are or
might be. When asked whether the social climate has
changed or is much the same, Stephen
Goodman, president of the Auckland Jewish
Council, says "both things are true". "As far as everyday Jewish life is
concerned, New Zealand is a good place to live.
That's why we chose to live here, and that
continues as it has for the last almost 170
years since Jews have been in New Zealand."On the other side, there is a definite
discomfort that anti-Israel attitudes will get
translated into anti-Jewish attitudes. The
majority of the New Zealand population is
easy-going and not going to get too upset, but
fringe elements will take advantage of
situations. There is a definite feeling of
unease that we are heading towards more
unsettled times."  He
cites a lecture by the American academic Dr
Daniel Pipes (right).
"He said anti-Semitism has swung from being a
right-wing institution to being left wing --
looking around the world, left-wing governments are
more likely to be anti-Jewish. I hadn't thought of
that previously, but I think he's right -- although
admittedly he's a Bush supporter, so he was going
to say that anyway." Into the discussion come a number of voices by
those who, while identifying themselves as Jewish
but not practising, also have a perspective. Jeremy Rose, a Wellington journalist who
has been instrumental in creating dialogue between
local Jewish and Arabic groups, feels no discomfort
in New Zealand society but admits he is outside the
mainstream Jewish community. "But I don't have any fears of increasing
anti-Semitism in New Zealand. I've seen no evidence
at all. There are a small number of nutters, but I
don't believe there is any serious problem. "There are quite a lot of us outside the tent,
Jewish but not actively religious or Zionist, who
have as much right to talk as Jews as anybody
else. "It's valid to talk to non-practising Jews
because anti-Semitism has never distinguished
between practising Jews, Zionist Jews or any oher
kind. Anti-Semites are not known for their
subtlety." Rose was disturbed that Zwartz would link the
"grotesque and violent destruction of Jewish
gravestones" to Clark's "entirely reasonable and
considered stand" over the alleged spies. In one of Zwartz' roles
he is obliged to defend Israel, which may not be
helpful to perceptions of local Jews who
don't. But Rose concedes Jews outside the mainstream
don't have the same concerns about being ostracised
or alienated from the prevailing opinions within
the community. This allows them to be more
outspoken. Despite political differences and even
commitment to the faith, there is considerable
common ground, says Wendy Ross. "It's diverse as far as religion is concerned
from orthodox observance to non-observance, but
you'll find few who are not concerned for the
safety of Israel. On that it is united."
THERE is a conundrum in the Jewish situation also,
as seen with the announcement that Irving may come
here. Auckland lawyer Juliet Tetro wrote a
letter to the Herald on Monday articulating
the argument against Irving being allowed the
freedom to speak here. In the free market of ideas the truth often
doesn't prevail, she said. Jews cannot afford to be
silent about Irving, but if they raise their voices
it seems such a predictable reaction that people
won't listen. A kind of, here-they-go-again
response. If he comes he may encourage anti-Semitic
activity or fuel what exists. If the Jewish
community insist he be banned they look to be
curtailing free speech -- and that plays into the
hands of anti-Semites and those who believe Jews
control the media and have something to hide, says
Rose. "If we control the media we're doing a bloody
poor job of it," says Tetro. Zwartz says Irving's
intended visit is "just something which has come
up and not part of any overall feeling about the
position of Jews in the New Zealand community.
It's something we respond to because it is seen
as a very unpleasant and possible threat to our
existence here." The concern is not that Irving's audiences will
necessarily be swayed -- he tends not to attract
large crowds -- but that his views will attract
disproportionate media attention and may go
unchallenged. "We wouldn't give credence to a flat-earther,"
says Ross, "but we do give credence to someone who
says the Holocaust didn't happen. It's a worrying
development. It could blow over and may blow over,
but we are worried and uncomfortable." But when it is added to heated discussions last
year over the 1993 master's thesis by former
Canterbury student Joel
Hayward, which questioned the validity of
Holocaust history, Goff's visit to Arafat, Clark
and the alleged spies, the damage to the
gravestones ... Ross articulates a concern perhaps only fully
understood within a minority community which has a
history of being oppressed, marginalised and
murdered. "All these things add fuel to ... Although
there's no fire, there are little pockets of flames
here and there. And they can be fanned." ©Copyright 2004,
NZ Herald
Dossier:
attempts by New Zealand Jews to stop David
Irving's 2004 visit-
 FAQ:
Answers to frequently asked questions about Mr
Irving's visit to New Zealand-
Steven Sedley
writes a letter on Mr Irving and free speech
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write to David
Irving