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LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Finkelstein is not credible
Letters to the Editor | 5/1/07
Posted online at 11:02 PM EST on 4/30/07
/ Last updated at 7:03 AM EST on 4/30/07
To the Editor:
For someone who claims to be speaking and writing about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from a Jewish moral perspective, Professor Norman Finkelstein's egregious self-righteousness severely undermines his credibility. Finkelstein conveyed his frustration with the complicated process that proceeded his visit to campus ("Behind new sponsors, controversial Middle East writer Norman Finkelstein to speak", March 27 issue), adding: "Brandeis is, after all, a university before it is a Jewish University."
This juvenile comment-from someone who has a Ph.D. from Princeton University-implies that Brandeis has a Jewish "stigma" that is inherently in conflict with the standards and values of a "true" university. In my opinion Finkelstein is taking out his frustrations with the pro-Israel American Jewish establish ment on Brandeis. Ironically, Brandeis has been vilified by some of these pro-Israel groups for being open to alternative viewpoints on the Middle East being represented on campus.
Unfortunately, Finkelstein's arrogant attitude was abetted by many of his sycophantic supporters in the audience, who practically lauded Finkelstein as a martyr who had fought an impossible foe (the University) to come to Brandeis and preach his "gospel." Even more regrettably, I do not see anything positive coming from Norman Finkelstein's appearance on campus. So long as he maintains a sense of patronizing self-righteousness and engages in personal attacks on his arch-nemesis, Alan Dershowitz, in a lecture that is ostensibility on Israel's human rights abuses towards the Palestinians, he will lack credibility in the eyes of reasonable people. Finkelstein would do well to learn from the integrity displayed by former President Jimmy Carter during his visit to our University several months ago.
-Preston Neal '07
For someone who claims to be speaking and writing about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from a Jewish moral perspective, Professor Norman Finkelstein's egregious self-righteousness severely undermines his credibility. Finkelstein conveyed his frustration with the complicated process that proceeded his visit to campus ("Behind new sponsors, controversial Middle East writer Norman Finkelstein to speak", March 27 issue), adding: "Brandeis is, after all, a university before it is a Jewish University."
This juvenile comment-from someone who has a Ph.D. from Princeton University-implies that Brandeis has a Jewish "stigma" that is inherently in conflict with the standards and values of a "true" university. In my opinion Finkelstein is taking out his frustrations with the pro-Israel American Jewish establish ment on Brandeis. Ironically, Brandeis has been vilified by some of these pro-Israel groups for being open to alternative viewpoints on the Middle East being represented on campus.
Unfortunately, Finkelstein's arrogant attitude was abetted by many of his sycophantic supporters in the audience, who practically lauded Finkelstein as a martyr who had fought an impossible foe (the University) to come to Brandeis and preach his "gospel." Even more regrettably, I do not see anything positive coming from Norman Finkelstein's appearance on campus. So long as he maintains a sense of patronizing self-righteousness and engages in personal attacks on his arch-nemesis, Alan Dershowitz, in a lecture that is ostensibility on Israel's human rights abuses towards the Palestinians, he will lack credibility in the eyes of reasonable people. Finkelstein would do well to learn from the integrity displayed by former President Jimmy Carter during his visit to our University several months ago.
-Preston Neal '07
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