Chavez rejects anti-Semitic charge as imperialist propaganda (Reuters)

[allemand]

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/ShTickers.html

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Friday rejected as propaganda charges by a leading Jewish rights group that he made anti-Semitic remarks during a Christmas speech.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center earlier this month accused Chavez of anti-Semitism and demanded an apology because it said he had related the Jewish people to the killing of Jesus Christ and associated them with wealth.

Chavez, a socialist ally of Cuba and fierce critic of what he brands Washington's imperialist policies, did not mention the Jewish people in his December speech and had also referred to the betrayal of Venezuelan liberation hero Simon Bolivar.

"Anti-liberal I am, anti-imperialist even more so, but anti-Semitic, never, that's a lie," Chavez said addressing the parliament. "It's part of a imperialist campaign, I am sure."

More:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060113/wl_nm/venezuela_chavez_jews_dc_1

[stepnw1f]

1. Waiting for Freepers...

:popcorn:

[StClone]

3. Me too

:beer: I'll bring the refreshments.

[applegrove]

2. I would trust Simon's group. Who gave them the information? Something

worth investigating is up.

[Crunchy Frog]

4. I think it's what was read into the words that Chavez spoke.

The words that he spoke were somewhat ambiguous and could have been interpreted as being anti-semitic, but ultimately it comes down to reading the intent behind them; mind reading really. However trustworthy Simon's group may be, I don't think they're better at mind reading than anybody else.

As far as I know, there was no "information" other than the words themselves.

[allemand]

7. It was liberation theology, not anti-Semitism. In an earlier speech Chavez

had used very similar words: "crucificaron a Cristo (...) porque luchaba por los pobres contra los poderosos", "they crucified Christ because he fought for the poor and against the powerful".
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=2020953#2023723

In the context of traditional catholicism, his remarks really seem anti-Semitic, but not in the context of liberation theology.

[applegrove]

9. Okay.

[TomClash]

13. I don't see "Los Judios" anywhere in that statement nt

[Behind the Aegis]

16. One doesn't always have to say "Jews" for it to be anti-Semitism.

However, there is no anti-Semitism, in this case.

[Behind the Aegis]

14. You broke it down very well!

Kudos!!!

When this story (Chavez' remarks) first broke, I read the original Spanish and could see how it was misinterpreted. That is all that happened here, a misinterpretation, no plot by creating a mistranslation, no anti-Semitic barb, no ploy by the right-wing to use the SWC to inflame the Jews...just a very simple, and unfortunate misinterpretation.

The most similar thing I can think of is JFK called himself a Jelly Donut, as opposed to a citizen of Berlin. :)

[applegrove]

38. Yes. Well said.

[pinerow]

5. No freepers yet...must be holding Ney's hand...

:woohoo:

[Ian David]

6. "...the descendants of the same people that crucified Christ..."

I suppose Chavez's remarks could have been directed at The Roman Catholic Church, but I doubt it.


1. SWC Condemns Antisemitic Statements By Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez – Demands Public Apology
http://www.wiesenthal.com/site/apps/s/content.asp?c=fwLYKnN8LzH&b=253162&ct=1752793


Centro Simon Wiesenthal
Maipú 853, 4º - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Tel: [phone] / Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]

Buenos Aires, January 4, 2006

SWC CONDEMNS ANTISEMITIC STATEMENTS BY VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT HUGO CHAVEZ – DEMANDS PUBLIC APOLOGY

The Simon Wiesenthal Center strongly condemned antisemitc statements by the President of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez Frías, who had said that “the world has wealth for all, but some minorities, the descendants of the same people that crucified Christ, have taken over all the wealth of the world”. Chávez made this statements during a celebration of Christmas, last Dec. 24, at a rehabilitation center.

In a letter to Chávez, Shimon Samuels (Director for International Relations of the SWC) and Sergio Widder (Latin American Representative), stated that “in your words we find two central arguments of antisemitism: the canard of the deicide and the association of Jews with wealth. Both elements have been the perfect excuse to justify persecution and murder of Jews along two millenia.

The letter adds that “it is paradoxical that the president of the country which will soon host the most renowned meeting of progressive thinking, the World Social Forum, uses this medieval and reactionary language. Your words sound very similar to those by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad when he denied the Holocaust, thus causing the rejection of the overwhelming majority of the international community”.

“Our Center condemns your antisemitic statements. Such offense to universal humanistic values demands an immediate and public apology. Your silence can only be interpreted as a reaffirmation of a racist conception”, the letter concludes.

Samuels and Widder added that “the Center will call on governments of Argentina, Brasil, Paraguay and Uruguay, as well as on the Presidency of MERCOSUR (South American Common Market), to freeze the process of incorporation of Venezuela to this bloc until Chávez makes a public apology for his antisemitic statements.

For further information, please contact Sergio Widder at + 5411 4313-4743 or + 54911 4425-1306

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, and the OAS.

-------------

More:
http://www.wiesenthal.com/site/apps/s/content.asp?c=fwLYKnN8LzH&b=253162&ct=1752793


See also:

2. Simon Wiesenthal Center Condemns Statements Made by Venezuelan President Which Banalize The Holocaust
http://www.wiesenthal.com/site/apps/s/content.asp?c=fwLYKnN8LzH&b=253162&ct=901509


Centro Simon Wiesenthal
Maipú 853 - 4º - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Tel: [phone] / Fax: [phone]

E-mail: [e-mail]

Simon Wiesenthal Center Condemns Statements Made by Venezuelan President Which Banalize The Holocaust

The Simon Wiesenthal Center condemned statements made by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who said, "Hitler was nothing compared to (former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria) Aznar."

"Chavez' statements are an offense to the memory of millions of victims massacred by the Nazis," said Shimon Samuels (Director for International Liaison of the SWC) and Sergio Widder (Latin American Representative).

"These kinds of comments are not the result of ignorance but an absolute contempt for the victims of the Nazi regime. Chavez' political culture, which allowed him to present Ho Chi Minh and Gamal Abdel Nasser as role models during the recent Summit of South American and Arab Countries allows us to believe that he is fully concious about who Adolf Hitler was and what he did. The Wiesenthal Center demands a public retraction and apology by Chavez for his offense against the memory of Hitler's victims and against those who suffered and survived the Nazi hell," they added.

Chavez' statements were a response to criticism by Aznar, who had said that the Venezuelan President represents "the populist model which perverts democratic institutions".

"It is unacceptable to banalize the Holocaust and to play with the memory of the victims of Nazi barbarism as Chavez did", Samuels and Widder concluded.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, and the Council of Europe.

For further information, please contact Sergio Widder on + 5411 4313-4743 or + 54911 4425-1306

More:
http://www.wiesenthal.com/site/apps/s/content.asp?c=fwLYKnN8LzH&b=253162&ct=901509

Also:

3. SWC APPEALS TO PRESIDENT CHAVEZ FOR HELP IN NAZI WAR CRIMES CASES
http://www.wiesenthal.com/site/apps/s/content.asp?c=fwLYKnN8LzH&b=253162&ct=286588


4. "PEACEFUL WARRIORS" EXHIBITION AT THE MUSEUM OF TOLERANCE
http://www.wiesenthal.com/site/apps/s/content.asp?c=fwLYKnN8LzH&b=253162&ct=286429

[Flanker]

8. The odds of it being implied are insignificant

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=1864

The native Jewish population agree with Chavez that it was a kneejerk overreaction.

[Ian David]

11. Cultural Misunderstanding?

<snip>

In his speech, Chavez lamented that while the world had enough resources for all, "some minorities, the descendants of the same ones who crucified Christ, the descendants of the same ones who threw out {South American liberator Simon} Bolivar from here and also crucified him in a way in Santa Marta, over there in Colombia — a minority took possession of all the planet's gold, of the silver, the minerals, the waters, the good land, the oil, the riches, and they have concentrated the riches in a few hands. Less than 10% of the world's population possesses over half of the world's riches, and more than half of the planet's population is poor, and every day there are more poor in the world."

Both the AJCommittee and the American Jewish Congress seconded the Venezuelan community's view that Chavez's comments were not aimed at Jews. All three groups said he was aiming his barbs at the white oligarchy that has dominated the region since the colonial era, pointing to his reference to Bolivar as the clearest evidence of his intent.

One official noted that Latin America's so-called Liberation Theology has long depicted Jesus as a socialist and consequently speaks of gentile business elites as "Christ-killers."

Sergio Widder, the Wiesenthal center's representative in Latin America, countered that Chavez's mention of Christ-killers and wealth was ambiguous at best and in need of clarification. He said that the decision to criticize Chavez had been taken after careful consideration.

More:
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=1864

This sounds like it may have been an innocent cultural misunderstanding.

Thanks!

[IndianaGreen]

10. SW Center is being used by the rightwing

Read the damn speech in Spanish. BTW, the Roman Catholic Church has firmly allied herself with the elites of Venezuela, and Chavez and Cardinal Rosalio Castillo Lara have been feuding for months.

BTW, the real anti-Semites are the Latin American elites, including the elites in Venezuela and the Miami Cubans.

Papal Envoy to Venezuela Says Cardinal’s Politics do not Represent Church

Caracas, Venezuela, October 24, 2005—The Pope’s representative in Venezuela, Monsignor Giacinto Berlocco, said that Venezuelan Cardinal Rosalio Castillo Lara’s recent political statements do not reflect the position of the Catholic Church in Venezuela. Over the weekend, Cardinal Castillo met with opposition representatives and said afterwards that Venezuelans ought to “deny recognition” to the Chavez government because it is, “ill-fated and dangerous.”

Cardinal Castillo said that the opposition ought to organize civil disobedience against the Chavez government, on the basis of article 350 of the Venezuelan constitution, which specifies that Venezuelans have the right to deny recognition to any government that “acts contrary to democratic values, principles, and guarantees.”

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=1793

[Behind the Aegis]

12. I don't think the SW Center is being used by any body.

The SWC addresses these types of things all the times. I think that, as Ian said in the post above, this was a cultural misunderstanding, nothing more sinister. I tend to agree. However, let's not take this good news and turn it into another 'conspiracy' that the SWC is involved/controlled by the right-wing.

On edit: I love spell check...I hope the updates to DU include grammar check!!! :)

[fujiyama]

34. On the face of it

and not understanding the context (I was unaware of the connection to liberation theology), it sounded anti semitic.

I think the SWC was just a bit quick in judgement. I think it happens. Sometimes there are certain things that gets lost in translation. I had seen no evidence to indicate that Chavez is anti semitic, so I was somewhat doubtful of the remark being pointed at Jews...but still, when I first read it, I wasn't completely sure.

[TomClash]

15. And why can't that mean the Roman Empire?

Pontius Pilate actually killed Christ.

[Behind the Aegis]

17. Please rent and watch "PCU." eom

[pinerow]

25. PCU...???

please elaborate...

[Behind the Aegis]

28. It's a movie.

It is from the early 90's, I think. It makes fun of "PC-ism." It stars Jeremy Pivens and David Spade.

[Ian David]

23. "Suicide by Cop" (Or in this case, by Centurion)

Jesus wanted to be crucified and wasn't going to take no for an answer.




Suicide by cop
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Suicide-by-cop is a suicide method in which someone deliberately acts in a threatening way towards a law enforcement officer, with the main goal of provoking a lethal response, such as being shot to death. Such a person typically feels despondent and hopeless, but for whatever reason, doesn't want to take his or her own life directly. Alternately, the suicidal person, having no personal access to firearms and wishing to avoid methods of slow, uncertain and relatively more painful deaths, exploits the police officer's requirement to carry firearms.

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_by_cop

Not a perfect analogy, I know.


See also:

Jesus of Nazareth Essay


While many through history have blamed Jesus’ death on the Jews and the Romans, one should be open to the possibility that Jesus is equally responsible for his demise. His sayings during his ministry in Galilee and his actions leading up to his arrest by Roman soldiers in Jerusalem both suggest that Jesus wanted to die.

Amongst Jesus’ parables, there are several that suggest that sacrificing one’s own life is a good thing, benefiting the giver through eternal life and also benefiting others. More parables reveal Jesus’ intentions about his trip to Jerusalem. By foreshadowing his own death, they show that he intended to die there, never returning to Galilee.

His actions in Jerusalem consisted mainly of cleansing the Temple of the money- changers, a misnomer because they performed essential services to the pilgrims who had to pay taxes in reliable coinage. By disrupting regular Temple activities, Jesus wanted and received attention, not the least from Roman soldiers. As they formed a security patrol that regularly guarded the Temple, they arrested the trouble-maker, who could spark a riot while Jerusalem’s population was swollen by Passover pil- grims. Other similar actions at the Temple were quelled by the local Roman garri- son with deadly force. Jesus had to expect a similar response.

Putting all the pieces together, Jesus saw death as a possible source of good to others and journeys to Jerusalem, where prophets must perish. Once there, he goes to the most closely guarded precinct in the city, kicks around furniture, causing a ruckus. Consistent with their response to other incidents at the Temple, and trying to keep the already excited population from exploding into riot, Roman soldiers arrest Jesus, giving him the opportunity to die a martyr’s death.

More:
http://www.arch.mcgill.ca/prof/mellin/arch671/winter2000/mchan/portfolio/jesus-essay.html

[TomClash]

29. That's absolutely right

It was preordained by God. Jesus said this many times.

[bklyncowgirl]

61. Why the hell is Chavez picking on the Italians????

Just kidding.

Seriously though, Jesus was crucified by a Roman governor at the insistance of leaders of the Jewish community who hated him for his attacks on them and who also feared that he might start a rebellion which would bring the iron fist of Rome down on their heads.

I've always thought that there was plenty of blame to go around. Still, it was a stupid thing for Chavez to have said though I wonder if it maybe lost something in translation.

[Cha]

18. Chavez isn't "liberal"?

Could have fooled me! I was waiting to see what he had to say about this bogus anti-Semitic charge, though.

Simon Weisenthal Center sounds like they're trying to stir up some shit.


I see Chavez sent his regards to Ariel Sharon which is a hellva lot more than patwah robertson ever did.

[Behind the Aegis]

19. hmm...

I was surprised by his "he is not a liberal" statement.

However, I don't think the SWC was "trying to stir up some shit." They were doing what they always do, fighting anti-Semitism. In this case, they made a mistake. It happens to the best of people/groups.

[AlienGirl]

21. I think we may need to figure out what he meant by "anti-liberal"

Was he speaking of liberalism as we in the English-speaking world know it, or was he speaking of some pseudo-liberalism that falls short of actual leftism, like in Phil Ochs's song "Love Me, I'm a Liberal"?

Tucker

[Cha]

22. That's what I was thinking ..that

maybe we had two different definitions going on here.

[Ian David]

27. Didn't he want to ban Halloween? And he's against gay marriage.

(Caracas) Legislation is to be presented in Venezuela's national assembly to legalize same-sex marriage.

<snip>

The marriage bill has been signed onto by a handful of party members and it is so far unclear how much support the measure will receive. Chavez is opposed to the bill.

Nevertheless, the country's LGBT community has made significant gains in the past few years.

Chavez has permitted LGBT pride celebrations to go on without problem. Gay pride marches were previously impeded by the right.

Last year the government sent a representative to march in the parade.

<snip>

How far the marriage bill will advance is unknown.

Critics of the new assembly say that it is unlikely to pass anything opposed by the President.

More:
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/01/010506venezuela.htm

[Crunchy Frog]

53. By the standard of being opposed to gay marriage

Chavez is as liberal as John Kerry. I guess alot of DUers want absolute purity from foreign heads of state as much as they want it from their own politicians.

I don't see anything there that would indicate that Chavez is not a liberal, and it seems clear that he is far more LGBT friendly than any likely alternative in that country would be.

[Ian David]

63. Agreed. n/t

[Judi Lynn]

64. Your own snippet seems worth a second look.

It indicates he is actually more open to gay people than his predecessors:

Chavez has permitted LGBT pride celebrations to go on without problem. Gay pride marches were previously impeded by the right.

Last year the government sent a representative to march in the parade.
(snip/)

Looks like a president taking step forward rather than a president acting as an obstructionist. Individual steps are needed to get from one place to another, especially in a rigid society which conforms very strictly to social tradition throughout Latin America.

[TomClash]

30. You are looking at this through an American political prism

Neo-Liberalism is the Latin American code word for economic imperialism as practiced through "free" markets and "free" trade. Evo in Bolivia and Chavez in Venezuela use this term frequently. It has nothing to do with gays or lesbians or jews or any other social or religious choice.

[fujiyama]

33. He may be referring to "liberal"

in the old classical European sense, which stresses free markets and the like.

[IndianaGreen]

39. He is referring to neo-liberalism, the scourge of mankind!

Here is what your precious neo-liberalism is doing to the world:

Published on Wednesday, January 11, 2006 by CommonDreams.org

Bush Administration Using Implementation of CAFTA Agreement to Further Expand Corporate Rights in Central America

by Tom Ricker and Burke Stansbury

What does tightening intellectual property laws have to do with “free” trade? That’s the question many people in Central America and the Dominican Republic are asking as the United States Trade Representative continues to insist on dramatic changes to constitutional laws in the six countries involved in the US-Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (otherwise known as CAFTA). As if the agreement itself weren’t bad enough for the region– CAFTA will hurt small farmers, worsen workers' rights, and lead to environmental degradation, among other negative effects – the US is manipulating the implementation process to demand even further concessions by the six countries involved.

January 1, 2006 marked the date that the Bush Administration set to implement CAFTA. However, progress has been frustrated due to the US’s insistence on significant constitutional reforms in the CAFTA countries. Such steps prove that the implementation process – like the negotiations and the ratification of CAFTA – is undemocratic, lacks transparency, and demonstrates the manner by which CAFTA serves only multinational corporate interests. CAFTA approval in the US Congress is sited by the Bush Administration as one of its few legislative successes of 2005, despite the fact that the 2 vote margin was the closest ever for such an agreement. In fact, the flawed implementation process lumps CAFTA in a series of Administration failures on trade which include stalled negotiations towards the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) and the Doha round of the WTO.

One country has achieved the necessary reforms necessary for implementation: El Salvador. But much like the turbulent ratification of the agreement – which occurred at 3:00 in the morning in an assembly surrounded by riot police – the process has been fraught with problems. In December the National Assembly rammed through 14 constitutional changes without any substantial debate, leading to the eruption of massive protests by informal sector market vendors a few weeks later. The reforms will impose fines and even jail time for those who sell and purchase pirated goods, thereby destroying the livelihood of many poor Salvadorans who depend on the informal economy. The Salvadoran executive introduced the CAFTA reforms just two days prior to the vote, prompting legislators from the largest opposition party (FMLN) to abstain from the vote and walk out of the Assembly session. Said Salvador Arias, a leading economist and deputy for the FMLN party, "The Right is giving our national legislation a coup de grace by putting it completely at the service of transnational corporations' commercial interests, to the detriment of the common good."

The Bush administration continues to demand that intellectual property rights protections be tightened in the other CAFTA countries before they can be certified to join the agreement. The U.S. government is criticizing Guatemala’s pending intellectual property law for not being strict enough, thereby using CAFTA implementation to tighten restrictions on drug patents - benefiting pharmaceutical corporations but certainly not poor people in need of affordable drugs. It’s no wonder that in Guatemala 20,000 protestors demonstrated against the Assembly’s vote in favor of CAFTA last March.

Despite such popular opposition, the Central American governments continue to promote CAFTA as the great savior of the Central American people, bringing jobs, investment and opportunities for all. But resistance to CAFTA in the region continues to grow, and polls show that Central Americans believe that CAFTA will not improve their economic situation.

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0111-21.htm

[fujiyama]

42. Why the hell are you accusing me

of being a proponent of neo liberalism?

I was just trying to give a possible explanation for Chavez's comments.

[IndianaGreen]

45. You are being accused of nothing!

I merely said that Chavez is an avowed enemy of neo-liberalism, as all progressives are!

This is why I posted the Common Dreams article.

[fujiyama]

51. Ah ok

I was a little confused by "Your precious neo liberalism".

No problem got it. :)

[Centered]

35. Very true

and besides... being "Liberal" doesn't mean you are on the "far left" of every issue. We all have our key issues and we don't all prioritize them the same. That's freedom baby... yeah!

[Clutch Cargo]

20. You would certainly have to question the reporting accuracy

of any news source that says Chavez isn't liberal!

[Minstrel Boy]

24. He rails against neo-liberalism all the time

so I assume that's the intent of his words here.

[pinerow]

26. Neo-Liberalism=DLC...

Does that make it any clearer...?

[1932]

40. neo-liberal = market fundamentalism

[MrPrax]

31. It's a funny thread?

It's all well and good, but I think the big point of the topic is that Chevaz is right in thinking it to be a imperialist plot...and basically discredit the guy, especially among liberals, who might view him favourably because of the CITGO program going on in the US and elsewhere.

Let's face it...it's one press release by ONE organization (mistaken) that was a shot heard 'round the world by a good chuck of the US dailies...it was posted at least a couple of times in LBN...pretty sleazy actually.

[rman]

59. "liberal" being synonymous with "leftist" is uniquely American

In Europe "liberal" is synonymous with (traditional) RW/conservative.

[cantstandbush]

32. The Holy Bible relates Jews to the crucificition of Christ, N/t

[IndianaGreen]

36. Jesus was executed by the Romans on the charge of sedition

at a minimum, Jesus (whatever his real Hebrew name may have been, Emmanuel by one Gospel), he was a Jewish patriot executed by the Roman occupation.

The Gospel authors took great pains to shift blame for Jesus's execution from the Roman authorities to the Jews. They stripped Jesus of his manhood, his humanity, his Jewishness, and turned him into a Christian version of the Roman god Apollo.

It defies reason and logic to have a crowd of Jews, in occupied Israel, demanding the death of another Jew from a Roman governor who history shows was removed from office by the emperor because of his extreme cruelty. The historical Pilate was not the wimp of the Gospels!

The Gospels lied!

[cantstandbush]

65. At the insistence of the Jews who chose to save the life of a thief. n/t

[IndianaGreen]

66. That did not happen at all!

It is a historical fact that Pontius Pilate was removed as governor of Judea by the Emperor because of his extreme cruelty. The Romans were not a bunch of flaming liberals, so Pilate must have been a Roman Saddam for him to have been removed for cruelty. This is in conflict with the Gospels description of Pilate as a weak man that could be coerced by a mob into doing something he did not want to do. The Roman apologists that wrote the Gospels wanted to shift the blame of the crucifixion to the Jews in order to make the new religion more palatable to its Roman converts.

There is also no record, not even in Josephus writings, that there was such a custom of releasing a condemned prisoner on the eve of a religious holiday. In the case of a prisoner sentence to death for sedition, as certainly Jesus and Barabbas (a participant in a rebellion, as one Gospel described him) only the Emperor could commute such a sentence.

Common sense also makes us doubt the Gospel version of events. The Romans were as popular in occupied Judea as the Marines are in Fallujah. It is inconceivable that a crowd of Jews would demand the death of a fellow Jew at the hands of the hated Romans. That entire account in the Gospels was fabricated@

[cantstandbush]

67. Either Christians BELIEVE the Bible or they don't. Since when do

historical facts stand in the way of 'belief.' And many of the writings of Josephus have been questioned by scholars of all stripes.

[IndianaGreen]

37. The hands of Bush are behind the latest smear of Chavez

Here is the real reason why this story is being distributed by those that "love Israel" (like Pat Robertson). They are trying to block Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay from forming a regional economic block that will oppose neoliberal policies of Bush. They are using the gullible people at the SWC:

Samuels y Widder agregaron que harán un llamamiento a los gobiernos de Argentina, Brasil, Paraguay y Uruguay, así como ante la Presidencia de la Comisión de Representantes Permanetes del MERCOSUR para que se suspenda el proceso de incorporación de Venezuela a este bloque regional mientras Chávez no se disculpe públicamente por sus manifestaciones antijudías.

http://es-israel.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2986

Samuels and Widder added that they will call on the governments of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, as well as the President of the Commission of Permanent Representatives of the MERCOSUR to suspend the process of incorporating Venezuela into this regional block for as long as Chávez does not apologize publicly by its anti-Jewish remarks.

(Chavez denied making anti-Semitic remarks)

[wellst0nev0ter]

41. But-But Bob Schieffer On CBS Today Told Me He Was Anti-Semetic

Don't tell me the corporate whore media would lie to me like that! :sarcasm:

[Behind the Aegis]

43. And now...Jewish group denies Chavez charges that it represents U.S.

polices (title was too long, with my addition).

CARACAS - The leader of the Simon Wiesenthal Center denied Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's allegation that it represented U.S. "imperialist" policies and stood by its interpretation of recent remarks Chavez made as anti-Semitic.

Rabbi Marvin Heir, founder of The Simon Wiesenthal Center, called the charges by Chavez "preposterous."

"We do not speak for the United States. We are an institution that has a commitment to speak out against anti-Semitism," Heir told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Friday.

The Los Angeles-based center had demanded a public apology from Chavez over comments he made during a speech on Dec. 24.

According to a transcript of the speech, Chavez said: "The world has enough for all. But it turned out that some minorities, descendants of those who crucified Christ, descendants of those who threw Bolivar out of here and also crucified him in their own way in Santa Marta, there in Colombia, a minority took the world's riches for themselves."

more...

[IndianaGreen]

46. All American institutions have been corrupted

and the Simon Wiesenthal Center may not be an exception. Their record is one of supporting neocon policies, such as the war in Iraq. Remember that only the name of Wiesenthal is what remains of Weisenthal in the Center.

[Behind the Aegis]

47. There is MUCH more to the SWC than the name. eom.

[IndianaGreen]

48. They played a shameful role in the lead up to the Iraq War

I seriously doubt that they are non-partisan considering in whose bed they have chosen to lay down.

[Behind the Aegis]

54. They played no role, at all.

They did what many "good" Americans did and said they were supporting the President and believed the information being pumped to them by every MSM source. Although, I disagreed with them then (I don't know if that position has changed, as with many other "good" Americans). But your post makes it sound like they had an active role in the lead up to Iraq, and that is simply not true, unless you have information which I do not.

[IndianaGreen]

55. Only fools believed in Bush

Every claim made about WMDs was debunked almost as soon it was made.

[Behind the Aegis]

56. There were lots of fools...

...however, I don't think that makes all those who believed in Bush evil or agents working for the lead up to war; it makes them poorly informed.

[IndianaGreen]

57. Sadly, we still have lots of people in self-imposed ignorance

all the polls show that a significant number of Americans still believe that Saddam was involved in 9/11.

[Behind the Aegis]

58. You get NOOOO argument from me on that statement...

"Sadly, we still have lots of people in self-imposed ignorance all the polls show that a significant number of Americans still believe that Saddam was involved in 9/11." Like hate, fear is a powerful motivator not to explore and simply accept what is given you (not you personally, the 'general' you).

[1932]

44. Venezuela's Jews Defend Leftist President in Flap Over Remarks

Thursday, Jan 12, 2006

By: Marc Perelman - Forward


The Venezuelan Jewish community leadership and several major American Jewish groups are accusing the Simon Wiesenthal Center of rushing to judgment by charging Venezuela's leftist president, Hugo Chavez, with making antisemitic remarks.

Officials of the leading organization of Venezuelan Jewry were preparing a letter this week to the center, complaining that it had misinterpreted Chavez's words and had failed to consult with them before attacking the Venezuelan president.

"You have interfered in the political status, in the security, and in the well-being of our community. You have acted on your own, without consulting us, on issues that you don't know or understand," states a draft of the letter obtained by the Forward. Copies of the letter are also to be sent to the heads of the World Jewish Congress and the American Jewish Committee, among other Jewish groups.

"We believe the president was not talking about Jews and that the Jewish world must learn to work together," said Fred Pressner, president of the Confederation of Jewish Associations of Venezuela. The confederation is known by its Spanish acronym, CAIV. He added that this was the third time in recent years that the Wiesenthal center had publicly criticized Chavez without first consulting the local community.

{snip}

http://www.forward.com/articles/7189

and reprinted at

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=1864

[IndianaGreen]

49. Great article, 1932

I am sure that the neocon supporters at the Simon Wiesenthal Center will have a lot of explaining to do.

[1932]

50. I thought you might have written that article!

Or at least the author read your posts before writing his article.

He echoes some things your wrote up above.

[IndianaGreen]

52. I am Latina and I understand the context of what Chavez said

Both the AJCommittee and the American Jewish Congress seconded the Venezuelan community's view that Chavez's comments were not aimed at Jews. All three groups said he was aiming his barbs at the white oligarchy that has dominated the region since the colonial era, pointing to his reference to Bolivar as the clearest evidence of his intent.

One official noted that Latin America's so-called Liberation Theology has long depicted Jesus as a socialist and consequently speaks of gentile business elites as "Christ-killers."

http://www.forward.com/articles/7189

As a Jewish Latina, I also know that it is in the elites where the real anti-Semitism is found.

Jews have never been part of the Latin American elites, no matter their personal wealth!

[Judi Lynn]

62. I've surely appreciated witnessing your input on this thread.

You are a godsend, believe me.

It takes a lot of patience and courage to stand firm, and deal so openly, patiently with the flak flying around threads on any Latin American leader trying to actually help his people, rather than serve Republican American interests.

[Judi Lynn]

60. So YOU ARE THE ONE who found this outstanding info., 1932.

I only saw it overnight, and was THRILLED no end, and not a bit surprised, to see it FINALLY surfaced somewhere where people could read it, if they weren't too busy.

Absolutely delightful. Nothing in it unexpected. People were talking about this days ago, you, very much included, trying to tell right-leaning others, or people who simply refused to doubt _Bush propaganda, that they'd been had, and they should learn to start using their brains for once in their lifetimes.

Citizens have sat on their thumbs, or gone shopping, which _Bush would approve, while rightwing idiots like Nixon and Reagan have poured our taxes into overthrowing duly elected Presidents, destroying the effects of elections, reversing progress, funding and training death squads, and wiping out hundreds of thousands of Latin American lives just for that heady sense of power so few ever have a chance to own. They don't seem to understand it takes a real hero to have great power and to NOT use it cheaply or to spread grief and tragedy where there was life and hope. It's a hard concept to grasp, isn't it?

I nearly felt like dancing around my chair when I saw this article for the first time, and it looks like you're the one who "brung" it here. We all knew it needed to be written.